Kingdom Under Fire's new direction
by Alan Rose 
{ Oct 2nd 2006 at 4:00PM }
The official web site for Kingdom Under Fire: Circle of Doom is now live, and while the scantily-clad warrior babes remain, the addictive mix of action and strategy that has defined the series is being replaced by a hack-and-slash RPG. If you were turned off by the disappointing Ninety-Nine Nights, you might say Phantagram has done the smart thing by giving Blueside a little creative freedom to experiment with "never-before-imagined innovation and fresh ideas" (from the web site). 2006 has also been a banner year for RPGs, not to mention the fact that 30% of Joystiq readers prefer role-playing adventures. So why not ride the wave?There are some potential pitfalls: random dungeons, branching stories, and characters who get tired aren't all that innovative. There's also Blueside's inexperience with RPGs, and the imminent risk of diluting the franchise. On the flip side of the coin, you have KUF's rich fantasy world to play in and the impressive production quality that highlighted KUF: Heroes. Do you think Circle of Doom will be another Champions of Norrath, or a Seven Sorrows?
And despite N3's shortcomings, Phantagram hasn't necessarily become gun-shy. This RPG diversion is supposedly just a side quest in the series, and the Korean developer is currently working on another KUF sequel of the more familiar action-strategy variety -- after they finish the PC version of Circle of Doom.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Falelorn @ Oct 2nd 2006 4:44PM
Good, the N3/DW gameplay just isnt advancing and is getting annoying, this sounds like a great new direction for the series
Skullivan @ Oct 2nd 2006 4:58PM
N3 was a solid game, especially considering that they were extremely rushed in development. If they ever get a chance to do a sequel and are given more than 11 months to make the game it would probably be amazing. There are games that were in development for 3+ years that weren't half as good as N3.
Cryoakira @ Oct 2nd 2006 5:24PM
"mix of action and strategy that has defined the series", really ?
Because the very first KUF was on PC a mix of RTS and RPG.
Then it became a mix of RTS and Action on Xbox.
Then it's becoming a mix of RPG and action on Xbox 360.
So i'm not sure about what define the serie... Maybe the title "Circle" is the right one...
dvnt @ Oct 2nd 2006 5:35PM
N3 really grated on my nerves at first. Especially since the voice acting was so bad and no Japanese track, wtf? It's grown on me a bit though. Anyway, this new KUF could be cool or totally bomb we'll have to see.
And I think they could use a preloader for that flash animation on the first page of the KUF:CoD site. And even preload the image swaps. Bleh.
Pip @ Oct 2nd 2006 5:33PM
Im not sure why everyone is down on N3. The game was a blast and played just as good as it looked. Fantastic game. Not all of us have been playing the entire DW series to become "tired" of this genre.
darko82 @ Oct 2nd 2006 6:02PM
Cryoakira, the first KUF game sucked. A "defining moment" is one that people will remember. Who the hell remembers the first KUF? It was completely forgettable and nobody bought it. The last two KUF games have had their shortcomings, but they both rocked, and The Crusaders in particular was probably the most underrated game of 2005. The two Xbox titles are the entries that defined the series because they've been the most successful by far.